The printer makes a squeaking noise caused by carriage movement when printing.

Questions/Symptoms

Printer noise

Squeaking noise

Noise

Noise during carriage movement

Cause

The printer's carriage contains the printheads and moves from side to side on the carriage rod while printing. The carriage slides on the carriage rod and also a milky-white mylar strip while printing. The milky-white mylar strip may collect dust or debris that will cause squeaking. This milky white mylar strip in the carriage path (indicated by the red arrows in the Figure below), helps the carriage to move smoothly.

Answer/Solution

Perform the following in the order listed to clean the milky white mylar strip and resolve the issue.1.Turn on the printer.

2.Open the top cover.

3.Unplug the power cord. Turning off the printer by unplugging the power cord allows the carriage to remain unlocked so that the carriage can be moved to clean the entire milky-white strip.

4.Clean the milky-white mylar strip, shown in the Figure below, with a soft, lint-free cloth. Move the carriage as required to clean the entire length of the milky-white strip

CAUTION: Do not clean or handle the encoder strip. The encoder strip is suspended directly above the carriage rod and could be mistaken for the milky-white mylar strip. If the encoder strip is broken or dislodged, the printer will require repair.

NOTE: The milky-white mylar strip is translucent and difficult to see in the printer.